Now Pete Carroll can laugh about NCAA

Now 60 years old, Seahawks coach Pete Caroll remains the same excitable guy that he was more than a decade ago when he was the head coach of the Patriots.

He believes players are different than they were 30 years ago, and they need coaches that can reach them. Carroll was asked if he ever was compelling to tone down his style at USC.

“Well the NCAA thought we had to,” Carroll said to reporters Friday, drawing big laughs. “They couldn’t understand how you could have this much fun playing football. I’m serious about that; they could not figure it out and thought something must be wrong.”

A few other notes from Carroll’s media sessions:

1. The team is a “long way down the road” on a contract extension with Marshawn Lynch. I’d be stunned if they don’t come to an agreement.

2. Carroll talked up defensive lineman Red Bryant at length. He will be a free agent priority. Carroll didn’t rule out making a big splash in free agency for a pass rusher like Mario Williams, but stressed the team wants to build through the draft.

3. The team didn’t expect Sidney Rice to need two shoulder surgeries. Carroll says the injury has been a long-term problem for Rice.

4. The Seahawks hope to slow down the pace of roster churning that has happened the last few years. Carroll believes the depth of the roster will allow that.

I always get a laugh when people call Pete a “cheat”, like he is the 1st and only coach to ever have a scandle at the school they coached. Cheating goes on at every school in some form or another. If you don’t believe that, your ignorant. Just because USC had success, people hate on Carroll. Get over it!!! PS-I’m a Michigan fan so, no bias here.

Well, a guy who studied under Bill Walsh, Monte Kiffin, and several “old school” coaches, rebuilt a failing Pac-12 football program to a national champion, and is in year 3 of a successful rebuild is obviously getting it done.

On a side note, have you ever seen your coach on “Mic’d Up?” He sounds like a whining 10 year old girl who found out the tooth fairy doesn’t exist…”BUT refs! Ugh!!! No way!” When you pick in the top ten for a decade, all it takes is a coach with half a brain to make it work. And yes, Singletary & Nolan don’t qualify.

I belly-laugh when people start whining about how Carroll can only win if he’s cheating, USC was a bunch of cheaters, blah blah blah.

While everyone sits around talking about him running away from USC, all he’s done is go dumpster-diving in the NFL’s waste bins, turning other teams’ rejects and undrafted nobodies into Pro-Bowlers. Brandon Browner, Doug Baldwin, KJ Wright, Kam Chancellor, Ricardo Lockette, Mike Williams, Marshawn Lynch, the list goes on. When Carroll inherited the Seahawks, the team was completely bereft of NFL-caliber talent and in total disarray. Since then, we’ve beaten the World Champs in the playoffs with a bunch of nobodies and misfits. We played an entire season with an o-line full of rookies, and then backups when the rookies were injured, and we were winning games with our backups (to the rookies). Beast Mode lit it up behind those second-stringers on the O-Line. Chris Clemons and Red Bryant have both come alive under Carroll, and Raheem Brock has turned out well too.

The NFL should be on the lookout. Seahawks are way deeper and more talented than anyone realizes, and with Carroll and Schneider running the show, it only looks to keep improving. I’m loving all the treasures they keep finding in other teams’ dumpsters (and the draft dumpster).

San Fran can have their poor-sport blowhard head coach. They had another before him, and we all saw how that turned out. 49ers better be on the lookout next season, we might have an actual QB or some starters on our O-line and then they won’t be squeaking out last-second wins. Beast Mode ain’t scared of 49ers Defense, he just poses in the end zone while the 49ers untouchable run defense is showered with Skittles.

joetoronto says:Feb 25, 2012 5:56 AM

zanderbough says: Feb 24, 2012 5:00 PM

“They couldn’t understand how you could have this much fun playing football. I’m serious about that; they could not figure it out and thought something must be wrong.”

That’s funny because there WAS something wrong: USC was (and still is) full of a bunch of entitled, steroid using, cash accepting divas. And the sanctions you ran away from prove it.

(this is coming from a Seahawks fan and USC hater)
************************************************
Good for you, zanderbough, for telling it like it is.

I’ve never had a problem with the Seahawks and I still don’t today, but Pete Carroll should have never been allowed in the NFL again at all.

Facts are facts, he had in made at USC and said many times he wouldn’t dream of going back to the NFL.

Well all of a sudden he’s back, because of what went on under his watch.

Carroll will always wear the stench of what happened, no matter were he goes.